1/*
2 * Copyright (c) 2000, 2013, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
3 * DO NOT ALTER OR REMOVE COPYRIGHT NOTICES OR THIS FILE HEADER.
4 *
5 * This code is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
6 * under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2 only, as
7 * published by the Free Software Foundation.  Oracle designates this
8 * particular file as subject to the "Classpath" exception as provided
9 * by Oracle in the LICENSE file that accompanied this code.
10 *
11 * This code is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT
12 * ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or
13 * FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU General Public License
14 * version 2 for more details (a copy is included in the LICENSE file that
15 * accompanied this code).
16 *
17 * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License version
18 * 2 along with this work; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation,
19 * Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA.
20 *
21 * Please contact Oracle, 500 Oracle Parkway, Redwood Shores, CA 94065 USA
22 * or visit www.oracle.com if you need additional information or have any
23 * questions.
24 */
25
26package java.security.cert;
27
28/**
29 * A specification of {@code CertStore} parameters.
30 * <p>
31 * The purpose of this interface is to group (and provide type safety for)
32 * all {@code CertStore} parameter specifications. All
33 * {@code CertStore} parameter specifications must implement this
34 * interface.
35 * <p>
36 * Typically, a {@code CertStoreParameters} object is passed as a parameter
37 * to one of the {@link CertStore#getInstance CertStore.getInstance} methods.
38 * The {@code getInstance} method returns a {@code CertStore} that
39 * is used for retrieving {@code Certificate}s and {@code CRL}s. The
40 * {@code CertStore} that is returned is initialized with the specified
41 * parameters. The type of parameters needed may vary between different types
42 * of {@code CertStore}s.
43 *
44 * @see CertStore#getInstance
45 *
46 * @since       1.4
47 * @author      Steve Hanna
48 */
49public interface CertStoreParameters extends Cloneable {
50
51    /**
52     * Makes a copy of this {@code CertStoreParameters}.
53     * <p>
54     * The precise meaning of "copy" may depend on the class of
55     * the {@code CertStoreParameters} object. A typical implementation
56     * performs a "deep copy" of this object, but this is not an absolute
57     * requirement. Some implementations may perform a "shallow copy" of some
58     * or all of the fields of this object.
59     * <p>
60     * Note that the {@code CertStore.getInstance} methods make a copy
61     * of the specified {@code CertStoreParameters}. A deep copy
62     * implementation of {@code clone} is safer and more robust, as it
63     * prevents the caller from corrupting a shared {@code CertStore} by
64     * subsequently modifying the contents of its initialization parameters.
65     * However, a shallow copy implementation of {@code clone} is more
66     * appropriate for applications that need to hold a reference to a
67     * parameter contained in the {@code CertStoreParameters}. For example,
68     * a shallow copy clone allows an application to release the resources of
69     * a particular {@code CertStore} initialization parameter immediately,
70     * rather than waiting for the garbage collection mechanism. This should
71     * be done with the utmost care, since the {@code CertStore} may still
72     * be in use by other threads.
73     * <p>
74     * Each subclass should state the precise behavior of this method so
75     * that users and developers know what to expect.
76     *
77     * @return a copy of this {@code CertStoreParameters}
78     */
79    Object clone();
80}
81